Cooling-tower.



E. BURHORN.

COOLING TOWER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11. i915.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

Inventor:

R$Jz/w Kgw h s-MMI INE! UTE TATES EDWIN IBURHORN, HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

COOLING-TOWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

Application filed se ptember 17,1915.v Seria1'No.5 1,157.

1 drawing.

This invention relates to cooling towers, and particularly to that class of cooling towers in which natural air currents are brought into contact with the liquidto be cooled, the latter being caused to pass by gravity through the tower while subjected to the cooling influence.

The main object of the present invention is to generally and specifically improve the structure and arrangement of elements, namely, the frame posts, foundation, collecting pan, etc., which are located at the lower part of the cooling tower. Other ob ects and advantages of this invention will appear in the hereinafter following description, and further advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

To the attainment of the above referred to objects and advantages, the present invention consists in the novel combinations, ar rangements, devices, details and other tea-I turcs shown or described in the specification or drawings hereof.

I will first describe one form of cooling tower embodying the invention, and will thereafter point out the novel features in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cooling tower embodying the present invention, with certain parts omitted for clearness and simp'lic-' ity. Thus, the tower, which may be of any desired height, is shown horizontally broken off to reduce the height of the illustration. The front right-hand corner post of the tower is omitted in order to show the louverarrangement along the right-hand side of the tower. The entire series of louvers at thefront and rear are omitted for convenience. One corner of the collecting pan is broken away. i

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation in detail showing the relation of the frame post, the base and the collecting pan at one corner of the tower, namely, the left-hand lower corner, the illustration being partly broken away to better show the interior construction.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, partly in section, onthe plane 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The tower frame, which may be generally square and of any desired height, has corner posts 4, each of which is in the form of an angle iron extending vertically for the full height of thetower. Each corner post is secured within a special base casting 5, which is provided with a base flange 6 resting upon a suitable foundation. The casting 5 is hollow and the post 4 extends into its interior,

where the two sides of the post are securely bolted, as shown, to the corresponding sides of the base casting. The remaining space between the wall of the hollow casting and the post is filled with concrete 7, thus affording a very firm base for each post.

At suitable heights the corner posts 4 are connected by horizontal cross frame pieces 8 in such a way as to give a rigid unitary tower structure.

The warm water to be cooled may be supplied at the top by a distributer device 9. From here the water passes down by gravity, being stopped and held and redistributed in its downward passage by means of a series of cooling decks 10 spaced apart at suitable vertical intervals. Beneath all of the decks and spaced below the lowest deck 10 is the collecting vessel or pan l1.

\Vhile it is not always necessary, I prefer to provide part or all of the sides of the tower with louvers 12. These may be arranged as shown, extending generally horizontally from corner post to post, each louver consisting of a plate inclined as shown. This arrangement serves to deflect thepassing air currents and cause them to come more intimately into contact with the descending water. At the same time the incline of the louvers tends to prevent the loss of water by blowing or splashing out of the tower. Any water falling upon a louver is preserved from loss. The louvers 12 may, for example, have generally the construction shown in my prior Patent No. 973,163, in which theaccumulated water is conveyed by a gutter along the bottom of each louver to the ends of the louvers so as to pass downwardly near the corner posts.

"An important feature of the present construction is that the collecting pan-11 is smallerthan and stands completely inside of the space inclosed by the corner posts. By this advantageous arrangement the collecting pan is maintained entirely within the tower, and thus is avoided'the possibility'of accumulating or collecting foreign or solidmatters which incidentally may be blown or otherwise brought 1n the neighborhood; of

the tower. The collecting pan is, moreover,

of less complicated structure and cheaper be cause of its smaller size.

In comblnatlon wlth such advantageous collecting pan I have shown'a'special louver 13" along each of thesides of the tower at an elevation between the lowest cooling deck and the collecting. pan. This special louver may be generally similar to the regular louvers 12, but its nwardly lncllned eX tremity is extended to. such a degree as to overhang the edges'of the collecting pan. Without this'improvement a great deal of the descending water would be lost by fall'- ing outside of the reduced area of the collecting pan; but this is overcome by the special louvers 13, which, it will be seen, serve to drain into the collecting pan any water which might otherwise become lost.

In crmbination with the described fea tures I have also provided a special feature in connection with the corner posts and base casting. Thus, at a level higher than the collecting pan and at the foot of each corner post the base casting is provided or formed with a collecting ledge or gutter 14;.

The relative arrangement of the post, the base casting and the collectlng led e is such that all water running down the posts passes into the collecting ledge and from there is drained by v opening 15 into one corner of thecollecting pan.

It will thus be seen that an apparatus has'been described attaining the objects and advantages before referred to. Since many details and arrangements and other. features may be indefinitely varied without affecting the principles involved, no restriction to details or features is intended, excepting as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cooling tower of the type wherein 2. In a cooling tower'of the type wherein water passes downwardlyby gravity and is drawn off at the bottom, the combination of an upright tower frame comprisingthree or more corner posts, one or more cooling or Coiii'of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Washington, D. C.

distributing deckssupported in elevated position'by said" frame, a collecting pan located at the tower lower end within the space inclosed by said corner posts, and a hollow ;ba se-casting within which each post is anchored, said base constructed with awa ter'receivingledge overhanging and draining into the pan.

3. In a cooling towerof the typejwherein water' passes downwardly by gravity subject'tocooling by natural air currents and. is drawn off at the bottom,- the combination of an upright tower frame comprising three or 'more corner. posts presentingtower sides open to natural air curre'nts,'louvers across such open sides,- a water distributing deck supported in elevated position by said frame, a collecting ,pan located at the lower end of the tower within the s ace-1 inclos'ed by "said corner posts, "and inwardlyslanted louvers extending around the tower between. said pan and deck and overhanging said an. 7 v

at. In a cooling tower of the type wherein" water passes downwardly by gravity "subject to cooling bynatural air curre'ntsiand is drawn oif'at the 'bottonnthe combination of an upright tower frame comprising three or'more corner posts presenting tower sides open'tonatural'air currents, louvers across such open sides, a water distributing deck supported inf elevated position by "said frame, a collecting pan located at the-lower end of the tower within the space inclosed' by said corner postsjmeans for" draining into said pan descending'water falling at the tower sides be ond said pan and a col; lecting led'ge near' thebase' of eachfcorner post for catchingthe'water falling at the corners and draining it into the pan.

5, In a Cooling tower of the type wherein water passesdownwardly gravity subject 'tocooling' natural air currents and is drawn off at therbottom, the combination of an upright tower frame comprising three or more corner posts presenting tower sides open to natural air currents, louvers across such "open sides,one or more cooling or dis-"l tributing decks supported in elevated 'posi tionby saidfframe, a collecting pan located atthe tower end within 'the'space "inclosed by said corner posts, and a hollow base casting within which each" post is anchored, said base constructedwith a water receiving ledge overhanging and'draining into the. p i V In testimony whereof," I have afiixe'd my signature- EDWIN BURHo n- Witnesses: V v

LnoPo n Ar JAMAo o, HAROLD H. -C. LASKER. 1

Patents; 

